The Dark Side of the Coffee Cup

And yes, that’s a play on Pink Floyd….

Not just because I really like Pink Floyd, though.

It turns out that coffee, just like Pink Floyd’s moon, has a beautiful front side, and a hidden side that we just don’t know much about.  And, also like the moon, people tend to look at only what’s obvious.

The obvious is: We like it.  In fact, many of us REALLY like it. It’s like we’re addicted to it, right?

And yet, despite that major clue to a problem, we hear very little bad said about coffee from MS Media and MS Medical except for caffeine.  We’re told that it’s caffeine that is addictive and causes high blood pressure, etc.  If you just drink decaf, it’s OK, or at least better.

In fact, there’s even a lot of information out there about the “Health” benefits of coffee.  Here’s an example, written by Gaples Group (A Physician-Led Educational Non-Profit).  And while the story does point out a few of the mild health concerns of coffee, it is written to accentuate the positives.  Almost like Mainstream Media.  Slanted.  Here’s the opening paragraph (the highlights were made by them, not me):

“Many of us have a love affair with coffee. Fortunately, the beloved brew is—in every sense—a feel-good story in nutrition science. Although most people drink it for the mild stimulant effect of caffeine, the data shows a link between coffee consumption and impressive health benefits. Some surprising ones: significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease—and most impressively, improved longevity.” Is Coffee Good For You?

So, here’s the first half of the “dark” side of the coffee cup: 

In my opinion, it’s a Manufactured free Glutamate (MfG).  And they are excitotoxins (Neurotoxins).

Remember the “clue” I mentioned above?  One thing MfG’s can be involved in is addictions of all kinds, including foods and drinks.  That’s why food manufacturers pack their products with them.

Here’s how I think coffee becomes an MfG:

 The coffee cherry (the fruititself) contains two excitatory amino acids:  Glutamate Acid 47mg and Aspartic Acid 12mg (Coffee Brewed Prepared With Tap Water, 1 Cup (8 fl. oz)

1.      There are 2 methods of processing and drying coffee beans: (Coffee 101: A Complete Guide… Step 3: Processing, Fermenting, and Drying)

a.      “The dry method is a four-week process where coffee cherries dry naturally in the sun.” “The dry method doesn’t involve removal of the coffee cherry skin before drying”

b.      “the wet method, the pulp is removed from the coffee cherry, revealing the coffee bean with the parchment skin still attached. The beans are also soaked in a water-filled fermentation tank for up to two days until the mucilage naturally dissolves. Fermentation — which is common with specialty coffees — breaks down the sugar in the mucilage to enhance the flavor and smell of the coffee beans. Once this process is complete, the beans are rinsed and either sun-dried or machine-dried.”

Here’s another appropriate quote about wet processing from another source:  Counterculturecoffee.com 

“Once the seeds are removed from their skins, they’re typically moved into fermentation tanks to remove the mucilage—the remaining sticky sugar and fruit remnants. Through fermentation, microbes and yeast are used to break down the mucilage. The seeds are then washed with water to remove the mucilage from the seeds.”

Almost all mainstream OTC and retail coffee shop coffee today is produced using the “Washed” process.

The Dry Method (really hard to find), is the least likely to be a MfG .

Do you think decaffeinated coffee is better?  No.  It can actually be WORSE:

Decaffeinated coffee undergoes even more “Soaking”, and in some cases may have Glucose (AKA Dextrose, an MfG) or other agents added as a pre-loaded agent to the process.

For instance, here’s the patent for the SWISS water method of decaffeination:   (patents.google.com) where it details the things that can be used in the decaffeination process.  It’s pretty wide open, really.

So yes, coffee itself, even decaffeinated coffee is an MfG.             

Now, how about the other half of the back side of the coffee cup?  Those flavorings?  How many of you drink your coffee just black? 

I thought so.

So, in addition to coffee itself being a source of Manufactured free Glutamates, unsurprisingly, the stuff we flavor it with is LOADED with even more MfG’s.

Take Starbucks, for Instance:  Ingredients: Starbucks-uk UK_AllergenBook

Multiple, Multiple, MULTIPLE ingredients with MfG’s (Manufactured free Glutamates.

Here’s just a few:

Now you know. 

And you must decide:  Drink the coffee?  Or don’t drink the coffee?

Oh, and here’s the back side of coffee cup.

And the answer is NO.              

Here are some really good sources of further information about MfG’s:

1. truthinlabeling.org

2. Badditives